Manga Box Sets of the Deceased Used as Squat Weights: Physically Honoring 'Heavy Feelings'

Heavy breathing echoes in sync with the rhythm of chanting sutras inside the main hall of Kongokin-ji, an ancient temple in Tokyo. What was witnessed at the joint memorial service on the 19th was the sight of bereaved families squatting repeatedly, holding the deceased’s belongings as weights instead of offering incense. They are receiving the "physical weight of memories"—the complete long-run manga box sets, piles of unbuilt plastic models, and other items from the deceased’s hoarding habits—directly with their gluteus maximus and quadriceps.

"Feeling the weight of the deceased through your muscles. This is modern-day memorialization." So says Sujinobo, the head priest of the temple and a former winner of the senior division of a bodybuilding competition. In recent years, organizing the belongings of the deceased has become a social issue. In particular, the collections of deceased individuals with geeky hobbies have a side to them that is close to a "curse"—difficult to throw away, yet selling for next to nothing. "Muscle Shojin Otoshi" (Muscle Post-Funeral Feast), which converts this guilt into energy (load) for muscle hypertrophy, has gained explosive popularity among some health-conscious bereaved families as a revolutionary method to resolve both mental and physical health in one go.

A man in his 40s who attended the service repeated squats with tears in his eyes, clutching the entire 150-volume set of historical drama manga (approx. 25kg) collected by his late father to his chest. "Dad, it’s heavy… you collected so much… Ugh, it’s working!" It was hard to tell if his tears were from grief or physiological responses to the extreme physical load. However, the expression on his face during the intervals between sets was as bright as if an evil spirit had been exorcised, and his pumped-up legs certainly told the story of his bond with the deceased.

However, this boom has also caused unexpected social confusion. The following morning, emergency calls to the police and ambulance services spiked. There was a flurry of painful complaints such as, "When I woke up this morning, my legs wouldn’t move at all. I’ve been paralyzed by a spirit," and "I feel like the deceased is clinging to my legs." In particular, a report from a bereaved relative who performed deadlifts with a set of encyclopedias, claiming that "a spirit behind me broke my lower back," shook the local police officers.

In response, Head Priest Sujinobo is calm. "That is not a spiritual haunting. It is DOMS (Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness). It is the process of ‘supercompensation’ where muscles are temporarily broken down and then regenerate stronger, which is the very microcosm of reincarnation." According to the priest, offering protein to the altar and getting plenty of sleep is the ultimate recovery (exorcism).

The act of subjecting the body to pain to overcome grief has existed as a form of ascetic training since ancient times. However, finding a worldly benefit like "increased basal metabolism" in this practice offers a glimpse into the resilience and deep karma of modern people. While belongings will eventually decay, trained muscles never betray you. The "heavy feelings" left behind by the deceased have now become the flesh and blood of the bereaved, engraved in the number of squat repetitions.

After completing the memorial service, the bereaved families toasted with protein-infused amazake and headed home on shaking, wobbly legs. Their backs were filled with dread for the coming muscle soreness, yet wowed by anticipation for muscles that had grown a size larger. Furthermore, starting next month, the temple plans to launch an advanced course, the "Pure Land Bench Press Service," using a Buddhist altar (approx. 50 kg).

Stakeholder Comments

• Head Priest Sujinobo: "Namu Amida Butsu (Homage to Amida Buddha)… No, Nice Bulk! Burn away your worldly desires!"
• Bereaved Family Member A (45): "I had no idea the complete set of ‘Golgo 13’ would work the hamstrings this much. My father’s hard-boiled lifestyle has been burned into my legs."
• Bereaved Family Member B (20s): "The corners of the action figure boxes poke and hurt. I guess this was my father’s sharp sense of style."
• Chiropractor: "Lately, we’ve seen an increase in slipped discs on the way back from Buddhist memorial services. Even for memorials, form is everything."
• Second-Hand Bookstore Owner: "We’re seeing more books brought in damp with sweat. It lowers the purchase price, you know."
• Spirit of the Deceased (Estimated): "Don’t use my collection for that… Oh, but son, you’ve got nice thighs now."
• Muscle: "Defying gravity. That is our battle of mourning."
• Manga books of the deceased: "Never read, handled only as weights. Is this too a part of the impermanence of all things?"
• Metropolitan Police Department Consultation Desk: "It turns out 90% of ‘sleep paralysis’ reports were actually muscle soreness. Please apply a pain-relief patch."
• Protein Manufacturer PR: "We are currently developing an ‘incense-flavored protein’ to be used as an offering."

International Expressions

Haiku

• Sweat falls on the floor / Heavy belongings of dead / Spring temple service
• Knees shaking so hard / Soreness after memorial / The pain of service
• Late father’s box set / The complete series of books / Works the glutes so deep
• Supercompensation / Mistaken for a spirit / Cursing my poor legs
• Rather than sutras / Groans of pain fill the whole hall / Memorial day
• Muscle fibers tear / Rebuilding parent and child / A bond forged in pain
• Incense offered now / Shaking protein with hands that / Tremble from the squats
• No decluttering / Instead I choose to do deep / Squats for the de-ceased
• Heavier than stone / Holding manga in my arms / In the early spring
• Muscles are reborn / Just like reincarnation / Growing stronger now

Kanji / Chinese Characters

悲哀筋繊維刻 重量漫画全巻 涙深屈伸供養 翌日激痛錯覚 住職曰超回復

Emoji

🙏📚🏋️‍♂️💦🦵➡️👻🚑💊🛌💪✨

Onomatopoeia

Tremble, shake. Grunt, heave! Creak, creak… (sound of knees). Thud! (putting down the belongings). Twinge! (lower back). Shake, shake (protein shaker).

SNS

• At a memorial service right now. Being made to do squats with my dad’s belongings. What kind of religion is this? #MuscleMemorial
• Squatted while hugging a complete box set, and the next day I got real sleep paralysis. Called the head priest and he told me to "drink protein" lol
• Grief is the load. Tears are sweat. Muscles never betray you, but the deceased’s collection is too heavy. #EstateCleaning
• I wish my temple would adopt "Muscle Shojin Otoshi." If we did squats during sutra chanting, we wouldn’t fall asleep.
• Using the deceased’s belongings for muscle training because taking them to Book Off is too much hassle… is this person a genius?
• I don’t hate the priest’s sense of translating "supercompensation" as "reincarnation."
• Thought my muscle soreness was a spiritual haunting and went to get an exorcism, but they recommended a chiropractor instead. #TrueStory
• What is a memorial service…? (philosophy)
• Apparently bench pressing a Buddhist altar is next. Somebody stop them.
• The weight of the deceased (physical).